It seems reasonable to state that a human’s life is affected by numerous factors. Psychologists claim that these factors are to be continuously studied through theoretical and practical lenses. The issue of physical, cognitive, and psychological development of an individual has always been relevant and appropriate to discuss. Throughout my whole life, I have been very close to my uncle, who shares with me many examples from his own life that are directly related to psychology. He aims to contribute to my progression in this field and never misses the opportunity to talk about a plethora of actual themes. This paper will explore the concepts of lifestyle’s influences on physical health, cognitive growth in higher education, and generativity versus stagnation, referencing to my uncle’s real-life experiences.
Lifestyle’s Influences on Physical Health
Lifestyle is a set of typical human activities; it is characterized by habits and characteristics of behavior at work, at home, and on vacation. Some of these activities are associated with the risk of disease. For example, smoking can cause lung cancer, and unprotected sex can lead to HIV and STIs. Other habits, in contrast, increase the body’s defenses and improve well-being and health. The latter is everyone’s responsibility – people can eat properly, improve fitness, manage stress, do not smoke, and do not drink alcohol or other psychoactive substances. A human is able to take care of his or her environment, harmonious relationships with others, personal development, and fullness of life.
If a person does nothing for his or her well-being, experiences a lot of stress, has bad habits, and is prone to unjustified risks, then the level and reserves of health are reduced. On the other hand, when people maintain good physical shape, live in harmony with their inner and external world, they usually achieve a high level of well-being. My uncle claims that he used to be frail in his childhood and had many diseases. His parents decided to involve him in sports and a healthy diet – as physicians recommended. To his adolescence, my uncle overcame this frailty and disease susceptibility due to such a lifestyle.
Cognitive Growth in Higher Education
The period of gaining higher education might be considered as the time for the emergence of the pivotal sociogenic capacities of a person. It has a significant influence on the human psyche, the development of his or her cognitive skills. During studies at a university – if there are favorable conditions – a person is provided with the opportunity to obtain an advanced level of critical thinking. It determines the mind’s orientation, forming the mindset that defines the professional potential of a student.
Student age is the time of the most active development of moral and aesthetic feelings, the formation and stabilization of character, and the mastery of the full range of social roles of an adult. My uncle also states that this period was the beginning of his economic activity – the inclusion of a person in independent production activity, the beginning of a work biography, and the creation of a family. Higher education transformed his value orientations, created exceptional abilities in connection with professionalization. It should be emphasized that the critical point that distinguishes this period is the formation of intelligence. For my uncle, this is the time of sports records and the beginning of artistic, technical, and scientific achievements.
Generativity Versus Stagnation
The central theme of middle adulthood – generativity versus stagnation – is understood as the desire to influence the next generation through their own children, through a practical or theoretical contribution to the development of society. Generativity makes a person look around, become interested in other people, and start being productive, which makes him or her happy. Parents find themselves helping their children; some people can use their energy to resolve social problems without conflict. Those who fail at this stage have a tendency to become absorbed in themselves. Excessive preoccupation with their health, desire to certainly satisfy their psychological needs, and preserve their peace take place (Newton et al., 2020). Of course, this stage implies the inclusion of productive and creative activities. At this age, most people try to formulate their point of view about the outside world, its future, and their participation in it. If such enrichment does not occur, its place is taken by regression to the obsessive need for pseudo-intimacy, often saturated with a sense of stagnation and impoverishment of interpersonal contacts.
My uncle tends to express full consent with the concept above. He states that currently, his primary satisfaction in life is the understanding of the fact that his children will be a prolongation of his essence in this world. After he entered the stage, he felt a great extent of tension that came from the aspiration to create and bring something valuable to other people. It seems apparent that my uncle’s experience fully adheres to the idea of generativity versus stagnation, and it should be noticed that he chose the former.
Conclusion
To conclude, the concepts of cognitive growth in higher education, lifestyle’s influences on physical health, and generativity versus stagnation were discussed. These concepts were also applied to the related experience of my uncle, which enhanced a train of thought and evidence-based arguments. It was found that a healthy lifestyle contributed to the significant physical state of my uncle, higher education developed his cognitive skills, and he prefers generativity rather than stagnation in his middle adulthood.
Reference
Newton, N., J., Chauhan, P., K., & Pates, J., L. (2020). Facing the future: generativity, stagnation, intended legacies, and well‐being in later life. Journal of Adult Development, 27(1), 70–80.